If I could be a with one of the characters it would be Ponyboy because he is emotional and intelligent. We would also share the same interest, reading. Ponyboy is a faithful gang member. So it would be reassuring to know that he would also be a faithful friend.Pony seems like the person that you could easly relate to and make a conversation with. I like Ponyboy because he is different from the others, like when they say in the book that he has neither his father nor his mother pesonality.




We all know that the fifth commandment is: Thou shall not kill. With that in mind, tell me what you would be feeling AND what you would do now if you were Johnny at the end of Chapter 4.

If I was Johnny I would feel very guilty and like him I would be frightened also. It was not his choice to take away a life well at least he shouldn't have is what I am trying to say. Although I do understand his position. I mean if I was in his position I would do anything to protect a friend from harm. I think Johnny was acting without thinking and was terrified that his friend actually might die. I think Johnny was trying to protect his "family" because if you remember this is the only family he has because his mom and dad do not pay attention to him.

This is not what the question is asking. I am wondering what you would do now. What action would you take? Would you hide in an abandoned church? ~Mrs. Best

Hey Molly, this is Grace. I would feel very guilty, too, if I was Johnny and I had killed Bob. I'm not sure what you meant though, when you say that it wasn't his choice to take away Bob's life. I think Johnny had the choice. Maybe he just acted without thinking, and before he could stop himself. I think I would try to do anything I could to protect my friend, too, but I don't know if I actually could. Would I really have the courage to kill? I asked myself that a lot during this chapter. What would I do, and how would I do that?


Explain what Ponyboy finds out about Randy and the other Socs at the end of Chapter 7.

Ponyboy finds out they are just regular people with feelings like the Greasers. He also finds out that the only thing that parts them is their difference in money and clothing. On page 118 Ponyboy even says he is not a soc, he (Randy) is just a guy. I realized that many of the socs are under alot of preassure and that they are all equal and the Socs and Greasers are fighting over nothing really. Ponyboy I think realizes that these people have a family and friends that care for him. He also realizes that from Randy's perspective that no one will really win. Also that the fighting and the killing does not prove anything. Randy says that even if they win or the Greasers win Socs will always be Socs and Greasers will always Greasers.

I agree! This was a very thoughtful comment. ~Mrs. Best

Explain what Two-Bit means when he says: "The only thing that keeps Darry from being a Soc is us."

I think that Two-Bit means that Darry is always clean cut, smart and well educated. When Darry was still in school he was a wonderful football player and without his family he would have become a Soc. It even says in the book that Darry doesn't like his hair long like a Greaser he likes his hair short. It say that Darry once was friend with a Soc but know they hate each other because one has to work for a living and the other comes from West Side. On page 142 it say that Darry was ashamed to be on the Greaser side.

Excellent book support - especially the part about the hair being short! ~Mrs. Best


Molly,
I agree with you. Darry was always to clean-cut and smart to be a Greaser. I think another reason that he might have been a Soc is that if he did not have to take care of Soda and Pony, he would have probably gone on to college. I think that at that time, going to college was much less common than it is nowadays. People then would only go to college if they had the money and the knowledge. This leads you to believe that it would be more common for a Soc to go to college than a Greaser. People with college degrees usually end up with better occupations and more wealth, so if Darry would have gone to college, he would probably have ended up with more money; making him a Soc.
Great job on your response!
~Maddie